Revolution Part 2
by TrueThought
Summary: Set 10 years after Revolution Part 1, Part 2 opens with the return of Superman after five years to the world he loves to find it is no longer the world he knows; the League is under new management and Batman is thinking of hanging up the cowl! BM/WW romance, but with strong themes of friendship and family.
1. Superman Returns

**A.N.** Yep it's very short. I recently watched Superman Returns for the first time. Mixed reactions; it wasn't really my cup of tea (which is the polite thing to say) but it did give me the inspiration for the current form of the plot for this fic - or rather this scene did. Honestly it was the best bit of the movie - and all I could think of was how I'd like Batman to be reacting at that moment. So here it is - plus the prologue to the story (I'm not sure there will be other Casebook entries - this chapter came together and I liked it too much to cut.)

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Prologue: Superman Returns

Barely inches from the ground the plane stopped falling. The man in red and blue set it down carefully as the cheer rose from the crowd – it echoed across the stadium, then over the city and across the country as the nation turned to their TV screens; by nightfall the whole world had joined the chorus of joy.  
In Gotham, one man turned to look at the screen and broke into a smile.  
"Thanks for coming back Boy Scout," he murmured happily. "We missed you."

Black Casebook Entry 873:_  
When the astrologers found evidence in the stars - when Clark came to me and said he wanted to look for his home planet I didn't have any objections. What orphan doesn't understand the importance of home and family? I was lucky in some respects – at least I had somewhere to go. Clark had to build his home from the ground up.  
So the Man of Steel flew away; five years went by and so many things changed. Nations changed. Families were made and broken. The world even began to wonder if it had ever really needed a saviour from a long-dead world. All but a few, even for a moment, believed the strange alien man would ever return. And the superhero community was changed beyond all recognition.  
But I knew he was coming back – I knew it. That's the one thing you learn as an orphan; what you're chasing, you'll never find it. Eventually you realise that you must settle for what you have. If you're lucky you'll realise that what you have is all you really want.  
A home, loving parents, a woman to hold onto his heart; yes, I knew Superman was coming back._


	2. Things That Change

**A.N.** This is really bad of me - I really cannot stop writing more of this! I only meant to take a break for a week! Ah well, thanks to everyone who said they liked Revolution Part 1 and Chasing Cars and who said they were excited for Part 2 (since I'd been plugging it so much I may have set a high standard...) But here is the first chapter - the quote is from Nicholas Nickelby by Charles Dickens. I'm quoting it here and it will be at the end of the fic as well - because it's important. Honestly I'd never have thought I'd put Dickens in Justice League but it fitted so well with what I'm trying to do with this fic.

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"What happens if, too early, we lose a parent? That party on whom we rely for only everything. What did these people do when their families shrank?  
They cried their tears. But then they did the vital thing.  
They built a new family, person by person."

Chapter 1: Things That Change

Up near the sky, under the struts holding up the crest of Wayne Tower a voice said, "So which did you go with, Chinese or Indian?"  
Superman dropped onto the perch his best friend occupied and started sifting through the bag, "Thai actually, from a new place we haven't tried."  
"We must be running out of those," Batman mused, taking the foil container from him.  
"Speak for yourself – I swear all the ones I knew went bust!"  
The sky was dimming; the last vestiges of blue sinking away into the inky black and Gotham was coming to life, reborn as the sparkling carpet below them. It was a thoroughly deceptive image.  
"This is the part I ask you how you've been," Clark said after a while.  
"Because it's been long enough to merit that question."  
"Bruce, I'm-"  
"Oh don't start!" Bruce interrupted, waving a forkful in a dismissive gesture. "If you're going to feel guilty about it then take your rice elsewhere!"  
Clark could tell he was joking; it didn't ease his conscience.  
"I'm doing well, since you asked," Bruce continued.  
"Yeah? How's Dick, moved on from under your shadow?"  
"He's on duty in Bludhaven now – under the name of Nightwing."  
"Nightwing? Really?"  
"Bear in mind he started his career as the partner of The Batman."  
"Good point," Clark conceded. "What about Barbara?"  
A shadow passed over Bruce's face; even through the cowl it was visible.  
"A few things will have changed in five years."  
"Bruce, what-?"  
He broke off, unable to finish the question. Bruce didn't respond, he just kept looking at the view.  
Eventually he said, "Joker shot her in the spine. Now she's confined to a wheelchair and her photographic memory forces her to relive the experience now and again. Still, I suppose she came off better than Jason; the next Robin after Dick left." He added, seeing Clark's puzzled look.  
A silence fell between them, one as heavy as the five years which had made their, already different experiences of life, alien to each other.  
"When I came to see you, you said I should go. You said it would be fine."  
"And I meant it – look, I didn't know what was going to happen, no one did. This was important to you; what kind of friend would I be if I hadn't told you to go?"  
"I should have been here to help-" Clark began.  
"Yes, if you hadn't left the League might still be recognisable, Jason might have lived and Barbara might still be walking," Bruce retorted, not concealing his tone of sarcasm, "or everything might have just happened anyway. I mean I'd love to have seen you beat the Joker into a bloody pulp but I'm not sure that would have helped matters."  
He almost glared at his friend, "You did not let us down. You didn't fail us. This is life – our lives anyway." Then he smiled a little, "Honestly Clark, even with everything that's happened, I'm just glad you're back."  
Clark eyed Bruce as the latter tucked into his food, watching the cityscape as he did so. It was hard to put his finger on but there was something different – something had hardened in his soul and it came out in everything he said.

Slowly Bruce became aware he was being stared at.  
"Do I have food on my face or is there a super villain behind me that I'm missing?"  
Clark shook his head, "Sorry."  
"Never thought I'd get tired of apologies," Bruce muttered. "Look, if you want to be useful, I've got a fundraising ball tomorrow that's giving money to the Gotham orphans. Your presence would make the total rocket."  
"If I can be of service."  
"Like I said, it's for the Gotham orphans," Bruce's face was just the right side of unreadable.  
"I'll be there."  
"Good. After that all everything's forgiven okay?"  
Clark laughed; somehow he was still Bruce, "Okay."  
They sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying the fact that they were in each other's company once more. Eventually Clark said:  
"What's wrong with the League?"  
Bruce looked decidedly uncomfortable, "I almost forgot about that."  
"Well, now I've reminded you."  
"Let's just say, it's under new management."  
"Whose management?"  
"Captain Atom – and Hawkman to be fair."  
Clark frowned, "How did that happen?"  
Bruce looked at the view, determined to avoid his friend's eye, "A long run of bad days. They disagreed with us on how to do things; then – well, I had concerns here." He blinked rather rapidly then, "I didn't go back. Then Diana, John, Wally, Shayera – one after another they left."  
"Why?"  
Bruce got to his feet, "Because when something you know goes sour, you can't stay around to watch it rot. Well, J'onn did; but then he had nothing else so he held on to what he knew." He closed his eyes, "I should've tried to talk them round – Captain Atom and Hawkman – I just didn't get round to it."  
"They contacted me yesterday," Clark confessed.  
"Of course they did."  
"They want to throw a big ceremony to formally welcome me back into the League at something called the Hall Of Justice?"  
"It's in Washington DC," Bruce explained. "It's not much more than the front for the tourists. To be fair we've all got a statue just inside the door."  
"Right," Clark said slowly, "I'm not sure that's a good thing."  
Bruce chuckled, "I'll see you tomorrow evening. Gotham City Hall."  
With that he leapt off the roof and glided off into the night, across the blanket of stars.  
Clark watched him go. He didn't feel better, having spoken to Bruce, about being away for so long. In fact, having seen him – although it was good to be around his friend again – Clark actually felt worse.

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**A.N.** And there's the first chapter. Sorry but there won't exactly be punctual updates (probably). I don't want to rush this because I want to get it right this time. Please review - feedback would be really appreciated!


	3. Dancing with the Moonlit Knight

Chapter 2: Dancing with the Moonlit Knight

Superman entered into a room of sparkling fairy lights and smiling faces. For, what wasn't exactly the first time, he wished he wasn't wearing the costume.  
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Bruce Wayne was at his side, "May I have your attention please!"  
Silence fell across the room.  
"First I'd like to thank you all for coming – your support for this cause is truly commendable." Bruce was the smiling host, genuine in every way, "Second I'd like to introduce you, not to the man – because he needs no introduction – but to the actions of the man called Superman."  
A ripple of applause ran around the room.  
"About five years ago, this man flew away and spent half a decade away from home. Four days ago he came back. Five years away from home, you'd think he'd want to spend some quality time catching up with his family and friends. But this man is Superman; four days back home and he comes to a charity ball in Gotham to add his support to the cause! Ladies and gentlemen, if anyone could be described as the best of men, it would be this man! Ladies and gentlemen – Superman!"  
The room erupted into applause. Half of it was genuine, half was simply polite. To Superman it was the loudest applause in the world because standing by his side and clapping with the rest was his best friend in all the world, with the biggest grin imaginable plastered across his face.

Bruce glanced around the room, not resisting the smile that crept over his face, seeing Clark surrounded by Gotham socialites; he would feel guilty about landing him at a ball in such a way, but he could tell Clark was having a good time. So he left him to it, moving in between groups of people, smiling and greeting various people he passed.  
Then, across the room, he saw her and a genuine smile spread across his face.  
"May I have this dance?" he asked, as he reached her and held out his hand.  
Diana, Princess of Themyscira, turned and smiled back, "Of course!"  
She took his hand and he pulled her onto the dance floor, slowly moving between the other couples.  
"You know you always get first dance Bruce," Diana said.  
"It's really great to see you too," Bruce returned, laughing a little. "Here for the charity or accompanying someone?"  
"I'm actually supporting the cause," Diana assured him.  
"In a way that's a pity because you look lovely."  
"And in another way?"  
"Well, there are a few more hopeful men in the room," he pointed out.  
She smiled, "But I'm dancing with you."  
He leaned in to whisper so that no one around them would hear, "That's because I'm Batman!"  
She snorted with laughter, turning a couple of heads nearby, "Bruce, promise me you will never use that line on another woman!"  
"It would rather blow the whole secret identity thing," Bruce admitted. "Besides, it's not going to be applicable for much longer."  
It pained him to see Diana's face fall. He cast around for another subject of conversation.  
"I think Clark's happy," he said, nodding over to where he was still surrounded by people.  
"I think so," Diana agreed, following his gaze, "you should have seen his face when you introduced him like that."  
She looked back at Bruce, with a gaze that he found hard to ignore, "Have you told him yet?"  
"I haven't as yet," Bruce replied.  
"Are you going to tell him?"  
"I suppose I will have to won't I?" he retorted sarcastically. "Diana, could we try and get through the evening without talking about this?"  
Her eyes instantly dropped in embarrassment which made him feel awful. The music they were dancing to came to an end and Bruce took her arm and led her away from the dance floor.  
"I'm glad you came tonight," he said, almost as an apology for his earlier tone.  
She managed a smile, a sign she'd accepted the apology, "Well for a dance with you there's a lot I'm prepared to take, especially since I don't see you very often."  
He opened his mouth to apologise for that but she stopped him with a raised hand, "No, there's nothing to apologise for. Remember I understand better than most."  
He could only nod his head in agreement – bringing up the memory of that evening was embarrassing to say the least; at most it was painful.  
"Look," he said, "I need to 'schmooze' some people-"  
"'Schmooze'?" she interrupted; she was trying to hide a smile.  
"It hasn't been long enough since I last saw Wally," he explained. "You should go and say 'hello' to Clark."  
She nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "In case you have to leave for something before I see you again," she explained, seeing his almost startled face. Then she made her way across the room leaving Bruce standing alone in the crowd.

Upon reuniting with Diana, for a moment, Clark believed his heart was, indeed, full of joy. It wasn't a very long moment but it was there and he was grateful for it. They moved to one side of the room and sat down on two of the chairs set out for the guests. It was then that he felt confident enough to ask one of the more important questions on his mind.  
"What happened to the Justice League Diana?"  
She leaned one elbow on the arm of the chair, placing her chin in her open palm.  
"It's one of those ironic things. I think, at the time, we all acknowledged that Cadmus had a legitimate point but I don't think we ever expected it to apply to us. Turns out they were right, in the end."  
"Captain Atom and Hawkman were corrupted by their power?"  
"From a simplistic viewpoint, yes."  
"And from your viewpoint?"  
She sighed, "Like a lot of things, it began with good intentions and ended without any discernible intentions. They tried to get too involved; a couple of border disputes that threatened to become wars flared up in Asia and South America and the UN asked the League for help."  
"And the League agreed?"  
"There are a lot of people who say there are times when there are no right decisions," Diana continued. "It's true, but those times are almost always followed by a period where there are numerous right decisions and that's where the mistakes are made. In South America we started by offering aid and disaster relief; we ended up picking a side. Asia was much the same. After that it became harder to argue why we didn't just walk away from all that we could accomplish by using our powers in this way; no one was asking whether we should want to accomplish certain things or not."  
"So you all just left?"  
"I think Bruce would have been opposing this change from the start if he'd been there; the fact of the matter is that, when Jason died, he stopped turning up to meetings, even to help on missions. The rest of us…well in hindsight I think it was a bad idea to expand the League in the first place."  
"Why?" Superman was genuinely puzzled by this.  
She leant back in her chair, "When we started – just the seven of us – when Bruce called us together, we trusted each other, right from the start. That trust grew into a sort of family – weird and dysfunctional though it was at times. When we expanded the roster, suddenly, we were working on a daily basis with people we respected and liked, but not people we trusted. That was the big difference. J'onn stayed because – well – because what else could he do? Part of his only family was crumbling away so he held onto what was left. You can't blame him for that."  
"I don't think I would have done." Clark paused, not sure whether he should go down the other line of enquiry he wanted to at this moment.  
"Diana, what did happen to Jason, to Robin?"  
She stiffened instantly, "He died and then he came back." She held up a hand to dispel the question he was already forming, "If you want to know more, ask Bruce."  
"I don't think that he'd be willing to talk to me about it," Clark pointed out. "He's more reticent than I remember – or is that just me?"  
"I'd say 'withdrawn' would be a better word – and it's not just you. It's how he is now." She was looking down at her hands folded in her lap and Clark decided not to discuss the matter further.

Bruce was talking to Commissioner Gordon when his phone rang. He lifted the receiver to his ear and his face hardened as he listened.  
"I'll be right there Lucius."  
Making his excuses to Gordon he pushed his way across the room and almost ran up the stairs to the door. He paused near the top to look back around the room and spotted Clark and Diana. He gave them a quick wave, which Clark returned. Diana's face wasn't easy to read but, even from that distance, it still made him feel guilty for rushing out without explanation; but he made himself turn and leave.

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**A.N.** Plenty of BM/WW in this chapter to keep people happy! Hopefully that's all the exposition you want on the decline of the Justice League (I should point out that I am working under the assumption that most of the things in the Justice League cartoon - which I love btw, otherwise I wouldn't be a BM/WW fan - happened in the first five years after Revolution Part 1. I'm not going to mention much of that canon except the Cadmus story-arc because that's important to the plot). Next chapter we'll find out what Bruce had to rush off for and see the other Founders.

Please review! It's really encouraging!


	4. Secrets and Questions

**A.N.** Next chapter up after a brief hiatus! This chapter is, unfortunately a bit of getting from A to B in order to get the story going. Hopefully it's not too boring.

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Chapter 3: Secrets and Questions

It was all Bruce could do not to run up the stairs to Lucius Fox's office. Lucius was kind enough not to make any comment when he opened the door without knocking.  
"Go on then, hit me with your worst."  
"About three hours ago we lost radio contact with one of our freight ships coming out of Tokyo – it just dropped off the radar. We got it back about thirty minutes ago; they'd been raided by pirates."  
"And I'm assuming you don't mean the Treasure Island kind."  
"Unfortunately not. Here's the file on the ship."  
"What did they take?" Bruce asked, taking the proffered file.  
"That's the thing; we don't know."  
Bruce looked up sharply, "What?"  
Lucius looked uncomfortable, "They emptied holding bay 18. We keep strict logs of everything due to be loaded onto our ships, which are double-checked alongside what's loaded at the docks. As you can see from the file, there wasn't meant to be anything in holding bay 18."  
"So what did they take?" Bruce murmured under his breath. "I'm assuming that something was actually taken off the boat?"  
"That much we know."  
Bruce sighed.  
"Okay, you'd better get everybody back in – we need to start talking to Tokyo; find out what we're dealing with here, is it smuggling or do we have dock workers taking back-handers from pirates now? Most importantly, we need to know what was in that holding bay." He turned and headed for the door, "Could you get someone to make sure I have all the paperwork on my desk?"  
"Sure," Lucius said, sounding a little puzzled, "that is, if you want to hang around."  
"I really do," Bruce replied as he left the room. He walked briskly down the corridor to his own office and sat down in the chair, pulling the phone across his desk as he did so. He was trying not to inwardly panic as he dialled the number, to give into the terrifying scenarios already playing out across his brain.  
"Oracle," he said into the receiver, "I need you to do me a favour. Could you keep a special eye on Gotham for the next – let's say, twenty four hours?"  
He nodded as he listened for the answer, "Wonderful – thanks."  
He put the phone down as his secretary appeared in the doorway, "Please make my day Jenny and tell me you weren't taking the night off or something."  
"I was finishing some filing when I got the message you'd be coming back in Mr Wayne."  
"No offense, but thank goodness for that."  
She smiled, "I understand sir. I was going to ask if you'd like a coffee."  
He nodded, "Large one, preferably black."  
She disappeared and Bruce sank back in his chair. It was going to be a long time before he got any sleep. He picked up the phone again.  
"Alfred? I'm going to need a change of clothes; however it may be in keeping with the image it looks like I'm going to be here all day and I'd prefer not to do so looking like James Bond."

The smell was almost intoxicating, an indication of how long it had been since Clark had eaten pancakes. Especially John Stewart's pancakes.  
"You know, you didn't have to give me breakfast," he said.  
"It's an excuse for us to get together,"Shayera pointed out.  
"And since you're busy this afternoon and we couldn't do lunch," John added, "it seemed like a good idea."  
He came out of the kitchenette using his power ring to create a tray on which he was balancing five plates.  
"Okay, here we go; Clark – that's yours – Shayera…and Wally," he finished, holding out two plates each piled with twice as many pancakes as the others. Some things never change, Clark thought, outwardly grinning.  
"So," Wally began, through a mouthful of pancake and syrup, "you were going to ask us something?"  
"Yeah," Clark said slowly, "Diana wouldn't tell me; what happened to Jason Todd?"  
The others were casual enough but now it was a little colder in the room.  
"He died-" John said.  
"And came back, I know," Clark interrupted. "What I want to know is what that means – and why Bruce is so…different now."  
Surprisingly it was Wally who answered him.  
"It wasn't so bad I suppose, when Batgirl was crippled," he began. "I mean – it was bad, but it got better. Bruce still came to meetings – was always on missions – well you know, he was always the brains."  
Clark smiled inadvertently.  
"Then Jason died and he sort of – I don't know – broke but inside, like when you get a faulty gadget and outwardly it looks fine but something inside isn't working like it should."  
"We didn't see Bruce after that," Shayera added.  
"When Jason came back to life he came straight back to Gotham and started taking over the drug trade – as a way of controlling it – and he killed people, lots of people." John's face was serious, "And then he was angry…really angry with Batman."  
"Because Bruce couldn't save him?"  
"Yeah, so everyone thought. Until he told Bruce the real reason he was angry – why he came back at all."  
Clark could feel a sense of dread building, "What was it?"  
Shayera looked down at the food on her plate, "He was angry because Bruce hadn't killed the Joker out of revenge. It was Joker who beat Jason to death in the first place."  
Clark stared at her, "Are you telling me Jason expected Bruce to kill somebody? He was Robin – he'd worked with him, surely he'd-!"  
"Why do you think Bruce is so wound up?" Flash asked.  
"Wally! He's not that bad!" Shayera snapped at him.  
"How do you know all this?" Clark interjected. He was starting to think he shouldn't have brought the subject up.  
"Because Diana managed to get Bruce to tell her about it last year," John explained.  
"How does she do it?" Clark muttered.  
John and Shayera exchanged amused glances.  
"Well if you don't know by now…" Shayera began, grinning from ear to ear.

When Jenny came back into the office Bruce Wayne was on the phone.  
"Yeah, Suriko – I'm still here," he was saying. He gave her a thumbs-up and nodded at the coffee she was carrying (probably the eighteenth since he'd arrived late last night), gesturing to her to leave it on the table.  
"Very bad line – you were right. I need you to do something for me – you still have those contacts in Tokyo shipping?"  
He listened for a moment.  
"Fantastic! Yep, you know what I'm after – you always were insufferably well-informed. Keep me posted okay? Day or night, doesn't matter."  
He put the phone down, "Did you make that meeting for me with Gordon?"  
She nodded, "Yes sir, he's expecting you in half an hour."  
"Great." He grabbed his coat as he headed for the door, "Sorry about the coffee."  
She shrugged, "No problem – Mr Fox is on his way down sir," she added as he passed her.  
"I know," he grinned back at her, "I can see him coming down the hall."  
Lucius met him halfway and fell into step.  
"I've been in touch with friends in Tokyo so we should have something from that end soon. What progress have we made over here?" Bruce asked.  
"The ship's communications have gone down – must have been damaged when they were attacked. We're tracking them on radar but if they can't fix it themselves they'll enter the nearest friendly port to get it fixed – so we probably won't hear from them until tomorrow."  
"Have we any idea what the cargo was in holding bay 18?" Bruce asked.  
"Not yet."  
"How about the account used to order the items?"  
"We're tracing it, but there's a lot of paperwork so narrowing down the field is going to be slow."  
Bruce stopped and eyed Lucius, "So you're telling me we haven't actually made any progress?"  
Lucius looked sheepish, "There isn't a whole lot we can do Bruce – not at this stage."  
Bruce nodded, running a hand across his face. He was tired, stiff and ratty and Lucius didn't deserve to be snapped at.  
"Ok," he said at last, "I need to see Gordon – maybe he can come up with some leads from this end. Keep me posted if you find anything."  
He walked away, leaving Lucius standing in the corridor.

Commissioner Gordon was just walking up the steps to the police headquarters when Bruce arrived.  
"Mr Wayne!"  
"Morning Commissioner," Bruce returned.  
Gordon glanced around before breaking into a grin, "Do you mind if we get some coffee? I've been on the go for several hours."  
Bruce smile back, "To be honest with you Commissioner, caffeine is the only thing keeping me on my feet at the moment."  
Ten minutes later they were sitting at a table in a nearby coffee shop and Bruce was explaining his problem. Gordon looked thoughtful as he finished.  
"And you want me to see if I can find out who was supposed to be buying over here?"  
Bruce nodded, "I know it's entirely out of order and probably breaking every rule in the book but-"  
"But what?"  
He took a breath, "I'm really worried about what was in that holding bay Commissioner; I mean, pirates don't steal kitchen utensils do they?"  
"They could have been misinformed."  
"But if they weren't? We have very advanced labs in Tokyo Commissioner, dating back to before the company was reorganised – back when Wayne Tech still made weapons. We have the technology to make items that people wouldn't want on the documentation."  
"Could it be drugs?"  
"That's my other fear," Bruce admitted.  
Something in his face must have appealed to Gordon because he nodded, "Alright – I'll get someone to go through what we have. There's a limit to what I can do though; police tend not to get answers when they ask those kinds of people questions."  
Bruce nodded, "I appreciate the help Commissioner." His gaze, for whatever reason, moved away from Gordon's face to the TV screen on the wall behind him and froze there in shock. Gordon turned to see what was happening.  
"_Just minutes ago_," the reporter was saying, "_an explosion at this dam in West Africa caused it to collapse. There is now a torrent of water raging down the valley towards the three villages in the area_."  
Bruce rose out of his chair, almost as if he was in a trance.  
"_Our reporter at the scene has breaking news_," the reporter continued, "_that the security forces have just found this hand-held missile launcher at the scene of the crime_."  
A picture appeared on the screen of the weapon. Bruce felt his heart start beating faster. Though the small logo on the weapon wasn't clearly distinguishable it was recognisable – as was the make of the gun.  
"I need to go," he muttered and, without any further explanation to Gordon, rushed out of the shop.  
He pulled out his phone and dialled a number as he walked, "Oracle, get through to the Leauge – they need to get to West Africa now!"  
Oracle sounded puzzled on the other end of the line, "I'm sorry – I can't get through to them."  
"What?"  
"The Watchtower isn't responding."  
"Are they at the scene already?"  
"No, nobody's there – those villages are pretty much done for," Bruce could hear the pain in her voice as she said it.  
He hung up the phone, "Well where the hell are they?"

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**A.N.** Next chapter is up - if a chapter may be boring I like to update two at a time. Please review!


	5. The Lone Voice

**A.N.** Chapter 4! A little more A to B but less exposition, more plot development.

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Chapter 4: The Lone Voice

Vixen was giving Clark a guided tour of the Watchtower, which was a little unnecessary since the only thing that was noticeably different was an increase in the number of screens everywhere.  
"So you can watch yourselves on CNN?" Clark joked, indicating the nearest screen.  
"So we can keep a close eye on everything that happens on earth," Vixen corrected him. "We don't let the reporters film us anymore."  
"Why not?"  
"It's too dangerous. It's rather distracting to have reporters at the edge of a crisis area watching your every move."  
"So," Clark said, "The newspapers don't know what you're doing?"  
"No one does; we don't like to open ourselves to outside scrutiny." She pressed a button, opening the door in front of them, "Here's someone you'll remember."  
They'd entered the monitor room, at the computer desk of which was J'onn J'onnz. Clark couldn't stop himself from rushing forward and enveloping the Martian in a hug.  
"Good to see you Superman," J'onn managed.  
"How's everything going up here?" Vixen asked him.  
"Not much, most of the attention is on the flooding of the villages in Africa."  
"And the capture of the cartel leaders?"  
"Next to nothing."  
Vixen nodded, "Fair enough." She looked over at Clark," We should get to the teleporters, it's nearly time for your induction ceremony."  
Clark waved at J'onn over his shoulder as they left.  
"So have you seen any of the other founders since you've been back?" Vixen asked as they got into the lift.  
"I saw Diana yesterday and John and Shayera and Wally-"  
"Have you seen Batman yet?"  
He looked sideways at her, "A couple of days ago; why do you ask?"  
She shrugged, "It's always best to check how he's doing and, of course, he won't tell us how he is."  
"Are you worried about him?"  
"Well – when a man like Batman breaks down over a broken glass – you have to wonder don't you?"  
Clark stared at her, "He did what?"  
"Just started weeping over it apparently. All in all, I suppose it's a good thing he's hanging up the cowl; some of us have started to wonder if his mind is in particularly good shape. He's only got worse since Jason Todd died."  
"Hang on," Clark said, desperately trying to keep up with the multiple revelations in this conversation, "He's hanging up the cowl?"  
"Within the month, Batman is going to be no more." Vixen looked over at him as the lift doors opened, "Are you okay?"  
Clark found himself nodding; he was too stunned to actually say anything.

After a two hour flight took him to Washington, Bruce made his way to the Hall of Justice. It was huge, impressive building, surrounded by a public park; in other words it was ostentatious to a fault. There was a big crowd outside the building which extended inside, right up to a police line that left a clear space in front of the huge statues of the seven founders. Bruce glanced upwards, past the faces of the statues of his friends, to the TV screens that adorned a metal rig hanging from the ceiling. Like the ones on the Watchtower they were playing news footage. In the middle of the floor stood the Justice League, every one of them, with Clark in the middle. Captain Atom was in the middle of his speech of welcome and praise.  
Bruce waited for a couple of minutes, they he ducked under the police line and strode forward, shouting, "HEY!" as he did so, successfully drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a couple of cops start forward after him but Hawkman raised a hand and they backed off. The way he did it made Bruce want to punch him in the face; it said 'I'm letting you in – otherwise you'd have no reason to be here'.

He stopped in front of Captain Atom and Hawkman, "Where do you two get off?"  
They exchanged looks. "Excuse me?" Captain Atom said.  
"What the hell were you thinking ordering those guns? I had a call from Wane Tech about ten minutes ago telling me they traced the account used to order guns from our labs in Tokyo; turns out it was the Justice League's account. What, you felt you couldn't go through the front desk?"  
"Mr Wayne – it was never our intention to involve more people than necessary."  
"Skipping over the question as to why you lot need weapons in the first place," Bruce retorted, "I think a lot of people are involved now who need not have been – or didn't you notice one of your missile launchers blowing up a dam in West Africa?!"  
"If you're accusing us of something-" Hawkman began, raising his mace a little.  
Bruce held up his hands, "Oh don't worry. The ship was raided by pirates – more than likely it was whoever they gave the weapons to that blew the dam – that's not on you." Then he glared at them, "What I'm asking is, where were you? It took just under thirty minutes for the water from that dam to reach the villages in the valley; you could have teleported in less than five. So where were you? This is your job isn't it?"  
Captain Atom laid a hand on his shoulder, "The incident is regrettable. Mr Wayne, you have to understand, we were on a mission, on the point of apprehending the leader of an international drug cartel leader at the New York shipyards. We've been trying to bring him down for months."  
"And we don't have police for that?" Bruce snapped.  
"Our job is to uphold justice," Captain Atom replied, still insufferably calm.  
Bruce pointed at the nearest TV screen, which was showing images of the aftermath of the flooding.  
"That's justice is it? You could've handed over your information over to the authorities – let them handle it!"  
"You're out of line Mr Wayne," Hawkman growled.  
There were no circumstances on Earth that could ever make him afraid of Hawkman – especially not now.  
"Shall I tell you what your problem is? You're trying to be gods when you should be trying to be heroes."  
He turned and walked back towards the police line. As he reached it he threw a parting comment over his shoulder.  
"And just in case the company portfolio didn't make it perfectly clear; Wayne Tech does not make guns."  
As he left the crowd respectfully parted for him. He didn't stop walking until he was at least three blocks away, where he sat down on a bench and put his head in his hands, remaining like that until he'd stopped feeling angry.

One woman in the crowd had watched him go. As the ceremony in the Hall finished she took out her phone.  
"Lieutenant, could you get me file XD308? Specifically I want contact details."

* * *

**A.N.** Chapter 5 should be on it's way shortly - got to do a bit of jigging around with things. Please review! It's nice to hear if people like this or not!


	6. Memories and Futures

Chapter 5: Memories and Futures

"A couple of messages for you sir," Alfred said as Bruce entered the Batcave. "Miss Diana returned your call; she is free for dinner tomorrow evening. Might I remind you sir that tomorrow is my evening off."  
"I know," Bruce said shortly. "What was the other message?"  
"A Miss Waller; she wanted you to meet her at the Cadmus bunker this evening at around eleven-thirty. I might add that she called the Batcave, not the manor."  
Bruce raised an eyebrow, "Of course she did. Looks like I'm off again."  
"Oh, and Mr Kent is upstairs."  
"Really? How did I miss him?"  
"He's only just arrived," Alfred replied, pointing up at the monitors.  
"Oh, right." Bruce grimaced, "Long day. You might need dinner for two."  
"Master Bruce," Alfred called him back. "I think I should say that I was very proud of what you did today and I know your parents would have been too."  
Bruce smiled, blinking back the effects of the day, "Thanks Alfred. It's nice to know I wasn't acting like a complete idiot."

Clark was pacing the living room, still in his Superman costume. He looked up as Bruce came in and it was quite clear he was not in the mood for small talk.  
Bruce tried it anyway – to a point, "Alfred wants to know if you're staying for dinner. I said I'd ask."  
"Bruce, why didn't you tell me?"  
He sighed, "About what, specifically?"  
"The fact you're retiring? The incident with the glass? The fact you've just yelled your head off at the entire League and nearly blown your identity? Exactly how many do you want to pick?"  
Bruce crossed to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a drink, "I was getting round to telling you when all hell broke loose."  
"So you won't mind telling me now?"  
Clark was glaring at him; any other time he might've made excuses or simply asked him to leave – if it had been anyone else. Tonight on the other hand…  
"This time last year was – a particularly bad time. It was, in a way, an anniversary; it was exactly a year since Jason, as the Red Hood, disappeared. I didn't want to have to think about it so I asked Diana to come for dinner. While I was washing up I knocked a glass off the draining board. Diana came in to find me trying to pick up the pieces – several big shards in my hands and blood everywhere. Apparently I was shaking like a leaf."  
Clark frowned, "I don't see-"  
"I knocked it off and it smashed," Bruce interrupted. "I didn't catch it before it hit the floor. You know me Clark – I spent years training to fight crime; training to be faster than anyone out there. Nobody's as fast as Flash but I came close – really close. And I couldn't catch a glass falling off the draining board."  
He took a breath – knowing that Clark was staring at him blankly, "I'd spent a whole year telling everyone I was okay. They all thought I was coping. _I_ thought I was coping; I'd convinced myself I was. Then I couldn't catch a falling glass. That was the moment when I found I couldn't lie to myself anymore – I wasn't okay. I'm still not Clark; and if Batman isn't okay, at the top of his game, can he be Batman?"  
"Bruce – you know that falling glass or not – you're still one of the best in the business." He paused, searching Bruce's expression, "Do you really think you're getting too old to be Batman?"  
Bruce sat down on the sofa, rolling the glass between his hands, "Do you have days when you wake up in the morning and it's just too hard to get up and start the day – things have been that bad?"  
Clark nodded, "Of course I do – it goes with the job."  
"But in your case – for you and John and Wally and all the others - something makes you get up and carry on. Whatever that is, it doesn't work for me."  
He looked up at his friend, "I'm tired Clark, I'm so tired. Every gun victim becomes Barbara, every orphan is Dick and every death is Jason – as is every horror that crawls out of Arkham and I can't stand to think of him like that. The thing is, it's endless – and whatever we all may have thought, my resolve is not. I'm not getting too old Clark; I'm just too tired of the grief and the pain."  
Clark turned away; his eyes stung with the threat of tears. He'd never heard Bruce speak so openly before, not even to him. Worse, he'd never doubted Bruce's strength or his resolve. Now he was being faced with Bruce's weakness.  
Ten years ago, Bruce had talked about the evolution of the superheroes, how they had to change – to adapt – as the world changed around them, sometimes because of them. Bruce himself was getting left behind by the pace of it all.  
He tried to find something to say but couldn't, so he turned and flew out of the open French windows, leaving his best friend staring after him. One thought was pounding at his brain:  
"_I should've been here – I should've been here for him. For all of them."_

The grating gave way easily; no alarms went off as he crept through the vents and the bunker seemed deserted; as if it had been deserted for several years.  
Batman dropped to the floor and scanned the room, spotting the figure in the shadows by the door.  
"Miss Waller?"  
"As always," she said, stepping into the light, "you're right on time."  
"You would not believe the problems I have had with deadlines in my time," Batman replied.  
Amanda Waller smiled, "Considering how long it's been I'm flattered you turned up at all."  
The woman was a government employee with a career of dubious moral character; and just under ten years ago she had been an enemy in all but name of the Justice League. Then, somehow, something had changed her mind and she'd become their most stalwart ally in government. If it wasn't for the fact he didn't actually trust her he would count her a friend.  
"So what do you want?"  
"I saw your performance in Washington this morning. It made me wonder about some rumours I've been hearing."  
"Any in particular?"  
She was eyeing him carefully, "The ones about your imminent retirement."  
"I should've known you'd have heard that."  
"I retain contacts within the hero community. Not as cooperative as you used to be but…"  
"So you're being more covert these days." He glanced around once more, "Looks like Cadmus has been going underground as well."  
"We've been moving around a lot more," she admitted. "Cadmus as you knew it was going under anyway – the process was finished off some months ago. But I thought you'd remember this place, given how often you used to break in here."  
"It brings back memories," Batman admitted. "But back to my original question, what do you want?"  
Waller held out a file to him, "This file contains photographs, inventories – all the information you need; I know how you like a solid case."  
"Convince me of what?"  
"Would you be surprised if I told you that we had evidence that the League of Shadows were the ones who stopped your ship?"  
"Surprised but not exactly shocked. I suppose it's fair to assume that they blew up the dam as well."  
"That's what the file is for; over the past year, every major attack against the Justice League can be traced back to the Shadows, including this latest one. Five years ago I don't think the Shadows would have been interested in the League; now they've become just a little too interested in everything the Shadows don't want them to be. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I think very soon the Shadows will be, effectively, at war with the Justice League."  
Batman was leafing through the file, "And what does this have to do with me?"  
"Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer old-fashioned methods," Waller said. "When this war erupts the League isn't going to have to time or energy to take care of all the people who need their help, especially the ones who are going to get caught in the crossfire; of course, they aren't doing such a great job at the moment as we saw today. When you and Superman ran the League you had time for everyone's problems, large and small. The League now…well, I for one wouldn't give much for our chances. I want you to restart the League – the League as it should be – to do the job you formed to do, what the hero community's purpose really is."  
Batman frowned, "You just told me, you know I'm retiring."  
"In that case, if I may ask a question?" Waller was smiling in a way that Batman remembered as being especially dangerous. "Why today's little escapade?"  
When he didn't answer, she continued, "I don't think you're as keen to retire as you think you are, if only because you're concerned about the legacy of what you created."  
She took back the file in a very business-like manner, "This organisation will have the unofficial backing of the UN and the United States government and subsequent funding – though I don't imagine you'll need it. One more thing; unfortunately they are going to insist on a government liaison officer within the group who will operate from your base of operations – that's non-negotiable I'm afraid."  
She stopped because Batman was looking at the floor. He seemed to stand there for a long time, barely moving, staring at nothing. Then he looked up:  
"One thing; the liaison officer has to be you. That's my condition."  
"I didn't think you trusted me that far."  
"I don't – I respect you and what you believe in that far." He walked over to the vent in the roof, "This doesn't mean I've agreed – it means I'm thinking about it."  
"So form the group and then leave it to work," she was smiling again. "But you won't do that, will you Bruce? That's what this afternoon was about. You're not ready to give up Batman just yet. You're not done fighting."  
Batman gave her a look; then he shook his head and disappeared into the vent.

* * *

**A.N. ** Hopefully that was enough exposition to keep everybody going. Next (probably couple of) chapters will have a BM/WW focus so hopefully that'll be something to look forward to. Please, as always, review! Thanks to all those who have (some very consistently!) it is really appreciated!


	7. An Evening with Bruce

Chapter 6: An Evening with Bruce

When the door of Wayne Manor opened Diana was surprised to find Bruce on the other side of it.  
"Where's Alfred?" she asked.  
"It's his night off and, before you say anything – yes I can cook."  
"I never said you couldn't."  
"Alfred would've beaten you to it if you had. Apparently not even Batman can get Alfred out of the door before he's finished giving instructions. Come on in."  
He stepped aside to let her in. Once inside he took her coat as she breathed in the warm air and the delicious smells.  
"If it helps, whatever you're cooking smells divine."  
"You'd be the expert on the divine," he said. "Go on through and sit down, it won't be long."  
Diana went into the dining room and sat down. Through the folding doors in the living room she could see a fire crackling merrily in the grate. A couple of minutes later Bruce appeared with a couple of plates and a bottle of wine on a tray. Diana smiled as he set one down in front of her:  
"This is really nice Bruce."  
"You haven't started it yet!" he pointed out.  
"I didn't mean the food."  
He sat down opposite her with a small sigh, "No, I didn't think so."  
She looked down at her plate, suddenly embarrassed, "I'm sorry – I didn't-"  
He rapidly reached across the table, putting a hand over hers, "It's fine Diana; I'm glad you came tonight – I really needed to see you tonight."  
Diana was uncomfortably aware she was blushing and desperately thankful for the fact that the room was lit by a fire. To save herself further embarrassment she started on the food in front of her. After a couple of mouthfuls she felt confident enough to look up and smile at him.  
"This is really nice."  
He grinned, "I made it myself."  
Which made her genuinely smile.

A couple of hours later she was still smiling, talking over older, happier times.  
"Do you remember when we had that mission at Niagara Falls? We'd just finished the clearing up-"  
"-and Clark found this tourist to take a photograph of all of us which we framed and gave to Wally for his birthday!" Bruce laughed, "He was so pleased with that picture."  
Diana leant her cheek on her hand, balancing on one elbow, "Do you miss those days?"  
He looked down at the table for a moment, "All the time." When he looked back up at her his eyes were happy again. "Considering I had to rush away so quickly the other night," he said, getting up and crossing to the cupboard on which was balance a CD player, "I think I owe you a dance."  
Diana laughed as she got to her feet as well, "Now there's something I've never heard from you."  
He didn't respond; he merely smiled and held out a hand which she took, feeling his other arm pull her close.  
"We didn't get a chance to do much dancing at the ball," he explained as they swayed together.  
"We're not exactly waltzing now."  
"Don't push your luck. We are dancing on the rug in my living room to 'Blue Moon' because it's a slow dance; what do you want from me?"  
Diana rested her cheek against his, "Right now I just want this."  
"To her surprise he didn't pull away, "So do I."  
So they swayed, moving around in a slow circle. At one point Bruce spun her out and when he spun her back in he lifted her and spun her round. As she came down she was aware they were much closer – if that were possible. Her cheek rested against his once more and they danced on until the music ended; then they remained standing in the same way for seconds that seemed like forever until Bruce drew back.  
"We should probably clear the dinner things away."

"Waller wanted to see me yesterday," Bruce told her as they descended the steps into the kitchen carrying the plates and glasses.  
"What for?" Diana was genuinely surprised as she perched on the edge of the kitchen table.  
"Apparently the League of Shadows is about to launch a virtual war on the Justice League. She wanted me to start up another group to do the League's job while they're fighting the Shadows."  
Diana was watching him closely, "What did you say?"  
"I said I'd think about it. Not sure there's much to think about."  
"Which means you'll do it?"  
"With Superman there to lead it I think it would work."  
Diana took a deep breath, suddenly finding she was afraid to ask the vital question.  
"And would you be part of it? Or will you just give out marching orders and disappear like you did before – only now you won't even be part-time?"  
"You, of all people, know why I'm doing what I'm doing," he said quietly.  
She could see an image rising to the forefront of her mind; broken glass, blood on the floor and the look on Bruce's face – a look she'd tried so hard to forget…  
"And you, of all people, know why I don't agree with it," she replied.  
Before he could interject she ploughed on, "You promised me you'd be at the end of the phone if I needed you – where will you be now?"  
He was trying not to look at her, "I can't go on like this Diana – it's too hard. I can't cope with…with the weight of the lives. I'm not able to cope with the pressures of this…duty."  
"You're the most capable man I've ever met – you can do this. If not for me, for Dick's sake."  
He looked up at her then, his face a painful mix of emotions.  
"Diana – you know I'd do anything for you!"  
She felt a lump form in her throat.  
"Then don't go."  
He turned away, resting his hands on the edge of the sink; she could see his shoulders shaking a little. Diana felt she'd been cruel in making her plea.  
"Bruce…it'll be alright."  
"Yeah, 'course it will. It'll be alright. Just like it'll be alright kicking Joker in the head; it'll be alright getting a crowbar and beating him with it – beating him until he can't smile anymore!"  
"Is that Jason holding the crowbar or you?" Diana asked.  
For a moment she thought he hadn't heard her, "But he still smiles…even then."  
Then he looked round at her; like he did every time he seemed to be losing it he pulled himself back under control – how, she would probably never understand.  
"I really don't know – I haven't the courage to find out. I'm not as strong as people think Diana, but I know it's never going to be entirely 'all right' again."

She took a breath, "You said you'd think about Waller's idea?"  
He nodded.  
"So you haven't rejected the idea?"  
"I don't – maybe." He sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "A few days ago I wanted to crawl away somewhere quiet and try to live a life. I wanted to be Bruce Wayne – or maybe just myself. Now, all everyone wants is Batman – like they can't live without him; and I can't live with him. Much as I try, it's as if Bruce Wayne doesn't exist, not really."  
"I think Batman and Bruce are more synonymous than you think. Batman is Bruce; and Bruce is the man I've come to know. It was him I was first introduced to if you remember."  
He smiled a little.  
"I don't want you to go," Diana said quietly, "and I don't think you'll find any peace if you do."  
"Then how do I go on?"  
He stood upright, glancing out of the window at the dark world, "Everyone wants me to be something I don't know I can be."  
"Well, do you know what you want?"  
He looked round at her, unexpectedly, then stepped across the kitchen towards her.  
"I'll give you some clues; it's unobtainable, it's entirely perfect and it's sitting on my kitchen table in front of me."  
With that he laid his palm gently against her cheek, so gently she could almost have imagined it.  
The kiss she could not have been imagining; for he _was_ kissing her - tenderly, passionately and almost desperately with a deep hunger that spoke of ten years waiting for this moment.  
And then their arms were around each other and her legs were around his waist and they had no more troubles in the world – at least for a glorious while.

* * *

**A.N.** Hopefully this comes off as romantic - and a little soul-searching. Please review! Chapter 7 is up!


	8. Starting Again

Chapter 7: Starting again

She was lying in his arms; so beautiful, so perfect and, for the moment, entirely his own.  
"Diana," he murmured, half hoping she was still asleep; carrying on, despite his lack of courage:  
"I think there was a time when you relied on me for strength and support; even if our respective roles have not been entirely reversed when I feel helpless and alone it's you I reach out for. I don't think I will ever see myself as you do; I'm not sure I've ever actually been what you seem to think I am. But I do know that with the whole of my imperfect heart I love you…and that whatever I am tomorrow or become in the days that follow, it is yours."  
With that he leant his head gently against hers and closed his eyes, his face partly buried her dark hair.

When Diana woke, she was alone, sunlight streaming through a gap in the curtains. She dressed hurridly and tried to make her way downstairs as quietly as possible.  
"Good morning Miss Diana."  
Inwardly Diana cursed. It wasn't that she didn't get on with Alfred; there was just something in that very British manner of his that always hinted at disapproval and she'd been hoping to find Bruce before his butler became aware she'd spent the night. It didn't help that she was wearing one of Bruce's jumpers over the dress she'd worn last night.  
"Breakfast is being served on the veranda – it being a nice day."  
"Thanks Alfred."  
Bruce was sitting at the folding table on the veranda, the wind ruffling his hair and a playful manner.  
"Morning," he said looking up at her, "Nice outfit." Then he clocked her expression, "What's wrong?"  
"How is it Alfred can make me feel like I came into the house with mud all over my face?"  
"That's Alfred," Bruce said with a smile. "Don't worry – you look lovely."  
Diana smiled, "That's what you said last night."  
"I vaguely remember that," he grinned. Then he turned his head to look down at Gotham in the distance.  
"What're you thinking about?" Diana asked, no hint of flirting now.  
"I'm thinking about a plan," Bruce murmured. "Can I ask you a favour?"  
The look on his face indicated he was only half expected her to refuse.  
"What do you need?"  
"I have a list of names; I need you to gather them together."

X-ray vision meant that Clark was able to spot the figure crouched in the shadow of the Daily Planet orb through several floors. As the day's work was ending he sneaked up to the roof, changing into his Superman costume in the lift.  
"You do know this still counts as broad daylight?" he commented as he walked onto the roof.  
"We haven't an awful lot of time so I thought I'd save some and come to your place of work." Bruce was leaning against the plinth the orb stood on, shaded from the setting sun.  
Clark sighed and sat down on the ground next to him.  
"We don't seem to be getting on well, do we, you and I?"  
Bruce frowned as he sat down too, "Okay, I know what's wrong with me – what's wrong with you?"  
Clark was almost glaring at the view in front of them, "What else haven't you told me?"  
Bruce frowned, wondering how he would tell his best friend about Diana when he hadn't actually told Diana yet.  
"Did John have a brother who died or did J'onn have a girlfriend who left him? Am I missing something?"  
Bruce couldn't keep the puzzlement out of his voice, "No, I think you were up to date."  
He eyed his friend, "Is there a reason for this?"  
"When I think back to the old days," Clark explained, "back to every mistake or loss we suffered – every time somebody died or simply got hurt – there you were. Every time I needed you were there to listen. No offense but I'm supposed to be the one with the heart – you're the pain in the arse."  
Bruce chuckled to himself.  
"So how is it," Clark continued, "that I wasn't there to listen to you?"  
"Several hundred million miles of space and time?" Bruce suggested. "Clark, we've had this discussion already. Being here doesn't necessarily mean you could have done something to help. Though is suspect you would have tried anyway – you just can't help trying to be useful. I'm not retiring because no one was there to listen; I'm retiring because of me – try as we might be Clark, we're not gods. All men look up at the skies – the only difference between us and them is that we decided to fly. You're not a 'superman' because you're invincible; you're Superman because in nearly fifteen years of knowing you there's not a single thing that you've done that hasn't made me proud of you."  
Clark looked down at his hands, feeling suddenly embarrassed and almost ashamed to meet Bruce's gaze. His friend, however, had moved on with the conversation.  
"So, are you interested in getting the band back together or not?"

* * *

**A.N.** Sorry this was a bit of a short one but it's wrapping up act 2 so to speak. Act 3 should see some proper action from the original seven and hopefully a good climax! This story is going to be longer than Part 1 (which I did not expect) but I don't really want to separate it out into another story so it's just going to be a long fic (at least by my standards). Please review!


	9. Working the Same Job

**A.N.** A bit of a gap before I got this one sorted - sorry. Mostly basic action but a chance to see the Founders working together again so enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8: Working the Same Job

The entire tower complex appeared silent and at peace. Only the shadows moved across the walls and rooftops, some more solid than others.  
Two figures crouched at the edge of the perimeter, one in black, the other in red, closer to the outer wall.  
"I'm getting cramp."  
"Give it another couple of minutes."  
"Anything happening down there?" Green Lantern's voice came over their earpieces.  
"Absolutely nothing," Flash muttered.  
"Batman's right – give it another minute or so."  
"Are the others in position?"  
"Right here," Superman's voice said. "I'm covering the road; Diana and Shayera are on the woodland side."  
"And reading you," Shayera added. "Pretty much nothing happening out here though the security is good – cameras every eighty yards."  
"And dog patrols," Diana added, "though I'd say they were settling into the nightly routine."  
There was a pause while GL checked his watch.  
"Okay – go."  
Batman and Flash sprinted across the grounds, finding cover in the shadow of the tower block.  
"Remind me – why am I here with you?" Flash asked.  
"I need twenty uninterrupted minutes inside – so I need a distraction. I need someone loud-mouthed, obnoxious and, basically, irritating; so naturally I thought of you."  
"The worrying thing is, I think that might be a compliment," Flash said.  
Batman grinned, "Nobody has quite your unique talent."  
"Good point," Flash admitted. "Twenty minutes it is!"  
Then he was off, speeding across the grounds and out of sight around the corner of the building. Shortly afterwards came the sound of alarms and a spattering of gunfire.  
"Flash – are you there?"  
"Let him work John," Shayera chided him.  
"I'm going in by the way," Batman put in as he removed a pane of glass and dropped into a room on the ground floor.

The alarms meant that there was no reaction to his opening of the fire doors. Batman started up the stairs as fast as he could.  
"Are you expecting to find an itinerary?"  
"Evening Amanda."  
"Or perhaps a mission statement?"  
Batman shook his head, "Are you just finding fault with the plan now?"  
"She's just bored – turns out the Cadmus base doesn't include Snakes and Ladders," Flash yelled, severely out of breath.  
"You just concentrate on running," Superman put in. "Waller, what kind of security are we expecting?"  
"Flash is good for another few minutes before the heavy support comes in," Waller assured him. "The Shadows keep very good security on the ground so they're not expecting to have to send in the cavalry."  
"But they're supposedly very quick on the uptake," Diana pointed out.  
"Which would be the problem," Waller agreed, "so keep an eye on each other in there."  
"Eleventh floor," Batman announced.  
"And here they come," GL added, looking up at the approaching helicopter.  
"Great," Batman muttered, pushing open the door and finding himself in the executive lobby. He gave a quick glance around to note where the cameras were though, with the others outside, it probably wouldn't matter if he was seen.  
"Now, am I looking for a locked door or an unlocked door?" he murmured to himself.

Flash dodged a kick from a figure in a grey jumpsuit, incredibly thankful for super speed at this moment in time.  
"Are these guys ninja's or something?"  
"Something pretty similar," Batman's voice told him. "Just keep your guard up – I only need another ten minutes."  
One of them tried take Superman out with a throwing star and seemed surprised when he used his heat vision. Shayera and Diana were clearing a circle around the main door of the building. Out of the blue, Shayera gave a laugh:  
"Look at them – our boys! We left it far too long before working together again."  
Diana nodded, then she happened to glance upwards; the moon was almost full tonight and she could have sworn she saw something fly across its face.  
She frowned, "Shayera – did you see-?"  
"Guys, I'm nearly done," Batman announced. "How's it going?"  
Shayera was looking upwards now too, "Batman – can you see anything – in the sky I mean?"  
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "I'll take a look."  
"Problems?" GL enquired, landing next to them.  
"I'm sure I saw something…" Diana said.  
Then her eyes widened because now they were clearly visible against the sky – flying down towards them in formation.

"Batman," GL said, "We may have a problem."  
"I see it," Batman assured him. Then he ducked because Hawkman and Red Tornado burst through the window.  
"Batman!" he heard Diana shout. "Are you still there? Are you alright?"  
"I'm just great," he growled, glaring across the room at the two heroes.  
As one they turned towards him. Batman risked a glance towards the computer where the files were still downloading.  
"You've got yourself a little team outside," Hawkman commented.  
"By the sounds of it, so have you," Batman retorted, standing up.  
"Well, you'd better get _yours_ out of here; we're doing a job."  
"I suppose we're just here for the scenery then?" Batman didn't bother to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "'Doing a job'? When did you join the mafia?"  
Hawkman moved so fast Batman didn't have time to react; he grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall.  
"That's the second time in a week you've insulted our integrity," he whispered close to his ear, "and I'm getting _really_ tired of it."  
Red Tornado laid a hand on Hawkman's shoulder, "LEAVE IT CARTER – YOU'RE OUT OF LINE."  
It took Hawkman a few, crucial seconds to recognise the sense in Reddy's words; in that time Batman reached out a hand and quietly removed the USB stick from the computer and put it back into his belt. Then he felt the pressure on his throat ease as Hawkman dropped him.  
"Fine," he muttered, "as I said before, we're working." With that he brought his mace crashing down on the computer desk. Batman threw his arms up to cover his head from the sparks and debris that showered onto him from smashed computers. Across the room Reddy was using his powers to blow apart the main server as Hawkman turned to the filing cabinet. Batman was distracted from this strange sight by somebody calling his name through his earpiece.  
"Bats! You still there?"  
In a rather pointless gesture he nodded, "Yeah, just about. What's going on?"  
"I'm starting to think we're not needed," Flash answered. "The League seems to be doing our job for us."  
"You need to get out of there!" Superman cut in. "The Shadows have a set of explosives rigged in the foundations of the building and they're running for it."  
"Whatever that building is hiding, I don't think they want it found," Shayera added.  
Batman looked back at Hawkman and Reddy, "Seems a bit pointless now…"  
He shook himself and got to his feet, "Waller, how many people on the night-shift in this building?"  
She took a couple of seconds to think, "About thirty."  
"Right; Superman, take Flash with you – you've got thirty people to find."  
"Gotcha!" he heard Flash say. Turning back to Hawkman Batman took a breath.  
"I think it's time to cut and run for us."  
Hawkman turned a sceptical look towards him, "We're not finished."  
"Carter, if you want to be blown up then feel free to hang around. The Shadows have laced this place with explosives and they're running for the hills so how long do you think we've got?"  
"You could be lying." He came closer, raising his mace a little, "What were you doing here?"  
"If you want to take the risk then feel free," Batman growled, "but bear in mind that my best friend is the one with the x-ray vision." He turned and leapt out of the window, using his cape to glide to the ground. As he landed he turned his head to see two figures fly out of the window after him and allowed himself a sly grin.

The other Founders had gathered at the other end of the grounds, looking over at the Justice League who was being surrounded by press who had been brought running by the explosion.  
"They don't like the attention are they?" GL muttered.  
"They've just been caught looting a tower block which is registered as a legitimate business," Superman pointed out. "Good luck explaining that."  
One or two of the reporters were starting to break away from the group and run across the ground towards them.  
"Uh oh," Flash said, in an ironic way, "publicity!"  
They all looked at one another. Then Batman turned to Superman:  
"Improvise; try not to make it too corny."  
Superman grinned at him and turned to face the oncoming press.  
Diana leaned over to whisper to him, "Did you actually get what we came for?"  
Batman grinned back at her, "Just about."  
"So this whole trip wasn't a waste of time?" Flash asked.  
"Of course it wasn't," Shayera said, "we had far too much fun!"

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**A.N.** I'll try and update soon. Please review!


	10. Family

**A.N.** I'm going to have to stop making assumptions about how fast I'm going to update! Here's the next installment - NOW the team is together! Enjoy!

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Chapter 9: Family

The Cadmus 'bunker' was actually an underground base spread over three levels. The lower level housed the hangar bay and the floor above had been converted from a chemical lab into the medical and dormitory wing. Amanda Waller was waiting for them on the top floor, which was doubling as both the command deck and the communal area.  
"Okay, first things first," Wally said, coming into the room, "does the coffee machine work?"  
"If it doesn't, we may as well give up now," Superman joked.  
Waller, however, was watching Bruce, who'd gone straight to the computer desk and plugged in the USB stick.  
"So what did you find?"  
"Shadow personnel allocation over the last few months; where they are, what jobs they hold," he looked round at her meaningfully, "in a lot of cases, security clearance. There's a lot of cross-referencing I need to do but I think it'll turn up something."  
"Like where they Shadows will strike next?"  
He shrugged, "Let's hope."  
"So are we going after the Shadows?" Shayera asked from across the room.  
Bruce swung his chair round to face the others, "That rather depends on what they've got planned next. It's not entirely within this team's remit but what happened tonight has got me a bit worried."  
"What exactly was the League doing at the Shadow's base for a start." Clark agreed.  
"That was a fully planned assault if ever I saw one," John said. "They looked pretty surprised to see us though; we already had the Shadows on the run."  
"Exactly," Bruce nodded. "They planned to destroy the place – or at least the data stored there."  
He looked round at Waller, "You know, I think they're cleverer than we give them credit for – I think they've already guessed the League of Shadows are targeting them. Tonight was retaliation."  
"So they're happy to declare war on the Shadows," Wally muttered. "As if the whole thing wasn't bad enough."  
"And we're going to be the peacekeeping force?" Diana asked, sounding sceptical. "Isn't our job to look after the world while they're at war and acting like idiots?"  
"Be that as it may," Shayera said, "We have to step in if we're needed."  
"I agree," Clark said. "I say if a third party is in danger we get involved."  
"Just be careful where and when you get involved," Waller warned, "considering that was how the League got into trouble in the first place."  
"Well," Wally answered lightly, "that's what you're here for isn't it?"  
"What do you think Bruce?" John asked.  
Bruce had put his hands together, balancing his elbows on the arms of his chair. He didn't answer at once; when he did, he spoke quietly.  
"I think you need to keep a very close eye on the League because it may be rotting at the top. I think Carter Hall was very close to strangling me tonight and I'm not one to be melodramatic. In any case, the very fact they've declared war on anyone is worrying – especially the League of Shadows. In that scenario I wouldn't be able to offer you good odds on either side."

He looked round sharply as a beeping sound came from the computer desk. Frowning he turned and scanned the feed from the security cameras.  
"That's weird," he muttered. "Too small to be a plane but it's still a really big seagull."  
Then a grin spread across his face, "Ok, definitely not a big seagull." Then he keyed in a command to open the hangar doors.  
"What are you doing?" Shayera asked, eyes wide.  
"We've got a visitor."  
"Who knows we're here?" John asked.  
"I wouldn't worry – you'll be pleased to see him," Bruce wasn't bothering to hide his smile.  
Diana looked over his shoulder at the screen where a figure had flown into the hangar. She began to smile too, "J'onn! It's J'onn!"  
The others stared at her. A second later Flash was no longer there. He was appearing on the monitor, knocking the Martian over with a huge hug.  
The others waited until Flash brought J'onn into the room to mob him. There were smiles all round and J'onn himself, along with Shayera, looked close to tears but the laughter filled the room like music. For the first time in ten years they felt like, and knew they were, a family again. Bruce looked over at Diana and, as she smiled back at him, found he had only one thought in his head; so he acted on it. As he kissed her and enfolded her in his arms he could hear the room falling silent.  
"Um…Bruce?" Of course Wally was the first to break the silence. "You know you're on Diana's face don't you?"  
They were both smiling when they broke the kiss though Bruce threw a blow in Wally's direction that he knew he would dodge.  
"Is there something going on we should all know about?" Superman, trying not to laugh, his eyes betraying his happiness.  
"I'll let you know," Bruce grinned. "Going back to the other important point – nice to see you J'onn."  
"I thought I should be with my family," J'onn said with a smile, "and since the issue over the Wayne Tech weapons I feared I was not able to resolve my differences with the others."  
"That makes six of us then!" Clark laughed.  
J'onn looked puzzled, "Seven, surely?"  
"Well, with Waller yes – but we don't count her," Wally said, rolling his eyes. "No offense," he added.  
"None taken," Waller assured him from the other side of the room.  
J'onn turned to Bruce, "Surely you aren't – I mean – even now - you're retiring?"  
Bruce held his gaze steadily, "Even now J'onn. Though now that you're here, I feel better about who I'm leaving to keep an eye on things."  
J'onn looked between him and Diana, "I – I'm not sure I understand."  
"Just leave it J'onn," Clark said quietly. J'onn looked around once more but his face conceded defeat.  
"In any case," Bruce continued, "I need your help to look over all this data we spent this evening collecting."  
J'onn laughed, "Just like the old days then! I'll be happy to – I heard a lot about your exploits this evening!"

"I must apologise for asking too many questions earlier," J'onn said after a while. "I didn't mean to ask anything you weren't prepared to talk about."  
"You wouldn't be the first J'onn – I wouldn't worry," Bruce assured him.  
"I thought that – since you and Diana – I may have made a wild assumption."  
"Don't worry about that, let me worry about that."  
J'onn smiled, "I always thought, in this team, that it was my job to worry."  
Bruce grinned, "No, that was just a privilege we allowed you."  
He turned back to the data stream, "Are you getting anything?"  
J'onn looked sidelong at him, "Arkham Asylum keeps coming up."  
Bruce raised an eyebrow, "You too? I thought it was just me."  
J'onn sighed, "I think that's our answer – for what it's worth. The League was planning something about Arkham."  
The others were drifting back from the sofas on the other side of the room.  
"What were they planning?" Bruce asked.  
"I'm not entirely sure," J'onn said. "They came back from the explosion at the tower block talking about Arkham. I think they were planning on taking a task force down there – a large task force."  
Bruce spun back to the monitor and looked down the list of data.  
"Waller, have a look at this. See anything in particular?"  
Amanda Waller looked at the monitor too, "There's a lot of Shadow personnel in the security section at the asylum."  
Bruce stood up and grabbed his cape, "Exactly."  
Waller took his seat, "They're going to stage a prison break."  
"And the League worked it out as well," Bruce continued, pulling on his cowl, "that's what they were preparing for. J'onn, when were they planning this expedition to Arkham?"  
"They would have left shortly after I did," J'onn said quietly.  
Bruce swung round and headed for the door.  
"Bruce! Where are you going?" Diana called after him.  
He looked back over his shoulder, "It's been a long time since I trusted Captain Atom and Hawkman but after the last few weeks I doubt I shall for many years and Hawkman at least has decided on a way of being a hero that makes him dangerous. In that case, never this side of hell will I let him unleash his own brand of justice on MY city."  
"Then we're coming with you," Clark said.  
Bruce looked surprised, "Clark, it's not part of this team's job, I don't want to get you into anything-"  
"Isn't that what friends are for?" Wally pointed out. "Why else does this family of ours even exist?"  
Bruce found himself smiling, unable to stop himself.

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**A.N.** This chapter is a bit of a break - it's all action from here! Please review!


	11. The Storm Breaks

**A.N.** This took a ridiculously short time to write. Like I said, action from here onwards. I should take this oppurtunity to apologise if I have used one of your favorite heroes as an adversary in this chapter - I had to pick some and I thought it would be too out of character for the likes of Black Canary and Green Arrow. (The 'ass' quote is from Titus Andronicus - had to get the Bard in somewhere!)

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Chapter 10: The Storm Breaks

They teleported to Arkham Island and walked across the open ground towards the asylum. Standing in a line before them were seven figures they had all once admired – all once aspired to be. Captain Atom, Black Lighting, Hawkman, Captain Marvel, Vixen and Starfire stepped apart from the many others that formed their army.  
"I think you're in the wrong place," Captain Atom stated. "This is a League operation and you are neither League members, nor a recognised crime-fighting unit."  
"Actually," Flash said lightly, "we are. Next stupid argument?"  
Hawkman tightened his grip on his mace and raised it threateningly. The other six Founders stepped forward.  
"Don't. Even. Think. About. It." Green Lantern warned, intoning each word through gritted teeth.  
"You're on my turf," Batman said. "Get off it."  
"The League of Shadows are about to stage a massive jailbreak. When they do the streets of Gotham will be awash with criminals and madmen. We're helping you," Vixen retorted.  
"You can't help me with Gotham and I don't need it," Batman growled.  
"Is that right?" Hawkman's tone had become sardonic. "And here I thought you were retiring because you couldn't cope – or am I wrong?"  
The eyes of Batman's cowl narrowed, "I don't intend to let you anywhere near-"  
"I thought that every time any of those freaks spend time out of Arkham you take everything they do on your shoulders." Hawkman gave him an almost pitying look, "Imagine how much damage they will do if they all escape at once – and how tired you will be trying to round them up again. You _will_ want to retire then!"  
"I assure you Batman," Captain Atom cut in, "every single criminal from that asylum who tries to escape will be stopped."  
"Stopped in what way?" Superman enquired, sounding suspicious.  
"In whatever way seems necessary," Captain Atom replied.  
"Will you kill them?" Wonder Woman asked.  
"Would that be so terrible?" Hawkman asked. "Let me tell you Batman – if you had killed any one of them long ago, not only would thousands be saved, so many villains would have thought twice before taking up an identity. If you'd done your job properly before, this would not be happening now."  
Batman's expression had not changed, "You aren't the first to make that observation Carter. The last one who did, well, because of grief and anger he was probably clinically insane – so you'll forgive me if I don't take your advice seriously."  
"You're saying I'm insane?" Hawkman asked, his voice becoming dangerous.  
"I'm saying, 'Now what a thing it is to be an ass!'" Batman bit out.  
Hawkman practically lunged forward but just as he did so Red Tornado brought him up short.  
"THIS IS IMMATERIAL. MY SYSTEMS TELL ME WE HAVE ONLY TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE THE EXPLOSIVE DEVICE IS DETONATED."  
"Explosive device?" Shayera asked.  
"You don't know?" Vixen mocked. "I thought you would have found that out at least!"  
Red Tornado, however, seemed more helpful, "THE LEAGUE OF SHADOW'S TASK FORCE IS BEING LED BY R'AS AL GHUL; HE PLANS TO DETONATE A BOMB FROM ARKHAM MANSION THAT WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT EARTH TREMORS IN GOTHAM AND THE SURROUNDING AREA, THEREFORE CAUSING THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF DISRUPTION."  
"And we have less than twenty minutes?" J'onn asked.  
Red Tornado nodded.  
Hawkman leapt into the sky. Batman swung round, watching him go. Shayera leapt into the air after him but Starfire flew at her, knocking her out of the sky. GL looked as if he were about to interfere but he was stopped by an explosion. The jailbreak had started.

Captain Atom glared at Superman and Batman as the entire League lifted into the sky behind him, flying to engage the escapees.  
"Don't get in our way." Then he followed the others.  
In response Superman and Wonder Woman immediately leapt into the air to follow them.  
Starfire had pinned Shayera to the ground and knocked her mace several feet. Unfortunately Shayera was a strong woman so all Starfire's energy was concentrated on keeping her pinned. Therefore she never saw Flash's fist coming; she went down at once.  
"That's no way to treat a lady," Flash admonished the unconscious hero.  
J'onn's eyes flashed orange before he too flew into the air, mentally connecting the seven of them.  
"Several hundred insane criminals trying to escape and the entire Justice League trying to kill them," GL said to Batman. "Not a tall order at all."  
"I think we've got it in us." Batman assured him and used the mental connection, "_Superman, I need you to fly me to the mansion."  
"You never let me fly you anywhere!" _Superman protested.  
_"NOW Clark!"  
_Superman swooped down and grabbed Batman under the arms, lifting him off the ground and soaring across the asylum complex which was suddenly a battlefield. He flew him through the clear night air until he was over the mansion where let go of him, allowing Batman to glide down onto the roof. He twisted around in mid-air and sped off towards the battle, arriving just in time to pull Captain Marvel off the Mad Hatter. Captain Marvel grabbed him by the front of his suit and punched him hard on the jaw, sending him soaring over the fighting for the second time; but as he went he spotted J'onn fly below him and take out the Mad Hatter with a swift punch to the jaw.

Batman made his way inside the upper rooms of the mansion. Most of it was taken up with a wide hall, in the centre of which was an ugly looking contraption of wires and flashing lights.  
"Why do they always look like that?" he murmured.  
"The element of fear Detective," a silky voice said out of the shadows, "never underestimate it."  
"How do you think I do my best work?" Batman retorted, turning to face R'as al Ghul as he stepped into the light. As he did so he clocked the still figure of Hawkman in the corner of the room.  
"Oh don't worry," R'as said, following his gaze, "he's not dead."  
"Good," Batman said. "Now, disarm that bomb and turn yourself in." His tone was icy cold.  
R'as merely laughed, "Did you expect that to work Detective?"  
"One of these days it might," Batman replied and lunged at him. R'as stepped aside; Batman used his momentum to spring back off the floor as he landed and brought the back of his hand swinging round in a punch. The blow lifted R'as off his feet and slammed him into a wall where he slumped, unconscious.  
Batman turned back to the bomb, quickly scanning it with expert eyes. He felt along the side until he found a small panel. Lifting it out he found a mass of wires. More as a distraction as he checked what each of them was connected to he sent out a thought:  
_"How's it going down there?"_  
_"Alright I guess,"_ Flash thought back. _"Not all the League members are actually a threat to these guys – mainly because most of the escapees are simply thugs."  
"The ones that are a threat are the ones giving us trouble and the escapees are making a mad dash for the bay,"_ Diana added.  
_"Keep at it, I'm nearly done up here," _he replied. Taking out a pair of wire cutters he chose a wire and cleanly snipped it, _"Actually I'm now done. I'll be with you in a minute."_ He rose and reached into the depths of the machine. Taking a hold on the main explosive block in the middle of the machine he ripped it out, ran across to the balcony and hurled it as far as he could into the bay. The small explosion that followed was mildly satisfying.

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**A.N.** Is Batman done? Actually he isn't quite... Please keep reading and reviewing! We're not far away from the end - thanks to you all for hanging in thus far!_  
_


	12. This Far, No Further

**A.N.** It is now 12.30 am and I'm uploading the last two chapters of this fic - starting with this one. I hope it's a good climax to the action!

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Chapter 11: This Far, No Further

The Founders chased the League and the Arkham escapees to the asylum dock. As they flew Black Lightning and Captain Atom turned to try and blast Superman and GL out of the sky; GL used his ring to create a wall of energy in front of them, which he pushed forward, knocking out the two League members. Diana flew straight downwards at the earth, using her momentum to plunge her fists into the ground making it buckle, a wall of rock rising up and blocking the way of escape for most of the prisoners.  
One figure continued to run – a figure with a pale, white face and an impossibly wide grin still on his face. Vixen leapt on him, pulling him by the throat over the edge of the jetty and under the water. Superman dived in after them. Vixen was channelling her animal powers, dragging the Joker down towards the sea bed as the air slowly left his lungs. Superman caught up with them and dealt Vixen a sharp blow to the back of the head. She let go of the Joker and swung round to face him. He brought his fist upwards under her chin, knocking her out cold as J'onn dived into the dark water and pulled Joker out but the arm.  
_"Batman?"_ Shayera sent a thought to him. _"Joker is alive."_  
_"I honestly don't know how to respond to that."  
_She smiled and looked back at the scene before her. The remaining criminals were being rounded up by the League in varying degrees of violence, Wonder Woman, GL and Flash moving among them, preventing fatal injury. Somehow, they'd established some form of order.

Batman moved out onto the balcony of the mansion, watching the brightening glow on the horizon. It was still very early - the world was still blue – but there was a promise of the dawn.  
He heard a groan to his right and, turning, saw R'as stumble out of the hall. He started towards him but another noise made him pause. Turning back he saw Hawkman raising his mace, ready for a fight.  
"Out of the way Batman; I'm doing your job – the job you intend to abandon!"  
Batman braced himself, his body placed in a natural shield between Hawkman and R'as al Ghul.  
"Carter, he's beaten – don't do anything you'll regret!"  
Hawkman threw himself over Batman's head, dealing R'as a hefty blow with his mace. R'as crumpled to the ground as Batman leapt at Hawkman, shoving him into one of the doors to the hall. He took a second to check for a pulse and, satisfied that R'as was still breathing, turned to Hawkman, who was trying to disentangle himself from the door frame and broken glass.  
"Don't you think if it were that simple I would've done it already? If it were a simple matter, believe me I would have thought of that solution of yours! Never, not even for Jason – my own son – could I do that!"  
"You're willing to let that monster get away with what he's done?"  
"Oh trust me, I hate him as much as you do. But you mustn't kill him Carter because we both know there's nothing at the end of that road but misery and despair; and because I practically live there, I can tell you it's not worth anything. There's no way back from that hell. We're not cops Carter, or judges or juries – we're heroes. That has to be something different."  
"He deserves death! So do almost all those freaks you put in here - all those freaks who try to fight against justice and what we do!"  
Batman sighed, the exertion of the long night starting to weigh on him, "And you'd deal out that death Carter? You'd do that? How many ghosts will come to you in the night? How many will you stand before you understand what I'm trying to tell you? Listen to me Carter, please – _not for my own son_ would I kill _anyone_."  
He turned and leant on the parapet, closing his eyes in exhaustion.  
"NO!"  
His eyes snapped open and he swung around, fist outstretched, catching Hawkman on the head as he leapt – mace raised – towards R'as al Ghul, tipping him over the edge of the parapet and crashing to earth with a thud.  
The momentum of his blow carried Batman over the edge after him but he felt his shoulder dislocate as a firm grip caught his arm as he fell. Looking up he saw a kind face looking down at him.  
"Typical Boy Scout," he grinned weakly, swinging over the abyss, "always there when you need him."  
Superman grinned back as he helped Batman back onto the balcony.  
"Is Hawkman alright?" he asked, bracing his hands on his knees, trying to forget how far he'd nearly fallen.  
Superman appeared to be listening for a moment as he mentally passed the question onto someone and waited for the answer.  
"He's fine," he assured Batman, "Thanagarians are made of tough stuff. Broken bone or two maybe."  
Batman nodded, still bent over. He tried to stop replaying the sound of Hawkman hitting the ground in his head – had it been anyone else…  
"R'as – would've killed him – had to –"  
"Hey!" Superman put a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Of course you did."  
Batman took a deep breath and straightened up, "Thanks Clark."  
Superman grinned, "This time I _was_ there for you."

Diana turned, looking through the mist of morning that floated across the battlefield of Arkham Island. The figure of Batman – Bruce – came out of the mist and stood before her. He pulled off the cowl and she could read everything he was feeling for he was hiding nothing from her. She pulled him into an embrace as he leant his head against hers.  
"Diana, will you marry me?" he asked, almost in a whisper.  
She had no jokes at this moment – only honest emotion.  
"Yes," she whispered back and when he pulled out of the embrace he was smiling a smile of contentment.  
Batman replaced his cowl as the League assembled by the body of Hawkman. He felt the rush of air as the Founders assembled next to him. Captain Atom turned towards him and he could see the anger in his face.  
"You did this! You could've killed him!"  
Batman was no longer shaken. The events of the past few moments had given him certainty, and confidence to match it.  
"I'm sorry – I wish I hadn't had to but I had to stop him."  
Captain Atom stalked forward until he was barely an inch from him, "The life of R'as al Ghul is worth more than a fellow hero?"  
"I would not have Hawkman become a killer. That's not something I'd wish on anyone. A few broken bones are worth his soul."  
Captain Atom glared at him but he had no response. Vixen came up beside him:  
"So this is your little club is it? Doing our job for us?"  
"Something like that," Shayera retorted.  
"You seem to have two of my team," Captain Atom noted, looking at Superman and J'onn J'onnz. "Am I to take this as your resignation from the League."  
They both nodded.  
"It's like a revolution!" Vixen scoffed. "Should we be treating you like another enemy – is that what you want?"  
Batman held her gaze, "Our kind is a constantly changing entity; just think of all those individuals and each new generation brings more. We are, by definition, a continuous revolution. This is just us, taking our place in it."  
Vixen opened her mouth to give a retort but Captain Atom held up a hand to check her. They both turned and walked back to League and in a flash they vanished, teleported away from the battlefield.

Diana slipped a hand into Bruce's as Clark said, questioningly "'Our' place in it'?"  
Bruce looked over at him and laughed, "Oh hell, I'm stuck now aren't I?"  
Wally grinned, "So you're staying?"  
"Well, some things would've been impossible to leave behind anyway," Bruce said looking round at Diana.  
"'Part-time' then?" John asked. "Just like before?"  
Bruce held his fiancée's gaze a little longer and then turned his head to look at the others, "I'm still going to be busy I fancy – Gotham being what it is – but no, I'm afraid you're stuck with me as a 'full-time' member. Sorry."  
Wally threw himself on Bruce and hugged him until his sides ached. When Wally let go, Shayera hugged him. John Stewart and J'onn smiled; Diana kissed him and Clark laughed and laughed.

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**A.N.** The last chapter is now up.


	13. The World Anew

Chapter 12: The World Anew

Superman flew across the sky, the world flashing below him as he went. Green and blue fusing as one as he flew, all adding to his feeling of elation. He landed outside the old wooden door in Gotham and pushed it open, grimacing as he did so. He hurried up the aisle and slipped into the pew beside Shayera Hol.  
"Small eruption in Hawaii," he murmured.  
"At least you made it," she whispered back.  
The doors at the end of the small church opened and, preceded by an honour guard of Amazon warriors, Hippolyta led her daughter down the aisle, her beautiful face hidden beneath a veil of lace that covered her head.  
Clark watched as, ten years after they first met, Bruce Wayne married Diana Princess of Themyscira and his two best friends became happier than they had ever been and their souls became complete. That evening Wayne Manor rang with the sounds of a large family celebrating together.

"So what happens now?"  
Bruce turned away from the picture of Jason Todd hanging on the wall to find Wally standing behind him.  
"To what?"  
"The League of course; our league I mean - the Founders. What do we do now?"  
Bruce shrugged, "I suppose we carry on. Nothing's changed really – well apart from a new base and the fact that the other superheroes don't trust us at all and the League of Shadows is out to make life a living hell for us."  
He looked at his friend, "Are you worried?"  
"I'm just-" Wally stopped, as if searching for inspiration. "It's just that – well – ten years ago, when you asked me to join up…it was one of the greatest days of my life. Not just because I got to work with Superman and Green Lantern and the others; I was sort of used to that already."  
He sighed, "It was like a vote of confidence in me; that I could do the job as well as Uncle Barry. Coming so soon after his death that meant a lot – and then I _met_ you all – I got to know you all. We did a few missions together and, okay you all thought I was irritating and told me off the whole time when I made mistakes but…it was like a family. I had a family of older brothers and sisters all of a sudden. Like I said, with Uncle Barry gone – and then the League went under and I didn't have that family anymore; and I've learned to live without it over the past few years," he continued, now looking Bruce in the eye. "At least, I thought I had – or I had convinced myself I had. My point is, is this for real? Is this team we have here going to last? Because I don't want to get my hopes up."  
Bruce looked back briefly at the picture of Jason. He seemed to be seeing something in the frame that only he could see – his expression was almost unreadable because it was so full of different emotions.  
"I think Waller was right – I'm not ready to give up Batman," he said quietly. Then he looked back at Wally and a smile spread across his face as he put a hand on his shoulder.  
"That was what it was at first; but there was another reason I didn't retire. It was the realisation that I _didn't_ have to be alone – not entirely. That's what marriage is really; it's what family is too. A wish not to be alone anymore as you face the future. That's what our family is – large and weird though it is. So nothing has really changed and we're ready for the future. I'd say we were pretty well off." He was looking Wally straight in the eye, "And you know that every one of us would come down on anyone who said anything against you."  
Together they looked back down the hall at the open door of the living room, through which they could see the others, enjoying themselves on this wonderful day.  
"You're married to Wonder Woman," Wally said.  
"I know," Bruce chuckled.  
Wally laughed with him, "Any regrets about marriage?"  
"None. Any regrets about joining this family?"  
Wally answered him with a smile, raising his glass, "To family."  
Bruce raised his glass as well, "To family."  
Then they walked down the hall, into the warmth of the room filled with smiling faces.

END

* * *

**A.N.** And that's it! That is the end of Revolution! Right now 'Revolution' by Trading Yesterday should be playing over credits (if this were a movie). I rather like the idea of ending with a conversation between Flash and Batman; I've always loved the way the others all care about Flash and what he does (that's taken a mostly out of the cartoon, cf. A Better World and the way Batman agrees to go along to the event in Flash and Substance). And I did rather tie up the BM/WW romance - maybe too briefly, sorry if that's the case but I liked the way it was so neat - given that they've known each other ten years I thought they should get a happy ending. And I wanted to give equal weight to other elements of the story.

Revolution is ended. I absolutely loved writing both parts 1 and 2 and after all that rewriting and rethinking it's great that they're done. Thanks for the reviews, followers and support from everybody! You've been fantastic and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have. (I'm gushing a bit but out of three massive fanfiction projects I've either got going or planned for the future this is the first one I've finished so it's kinda special).

Oh, and please review!


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